Author: Henry Marquez

It was a sunny day for the Golden State Warriors as Matt Barnes rode with them to pick up some of his things before hitting the road.

Matt Barnes loves the fact that he is in the Bay Area and he is helping his team to get over the loss of Kevin Durant. Kevin for at least a month needs to be sidelined due to a knee injury.

Barnes was part of the playoff team in 2007, and that put an end to the drought which lasted 12 long years.

Barnes was thrilled to be back with his old team after a whole decade. Everything has changed including the players and the organization as well, yet it is wonderful to be back. Barnes played his first game against Boston at the Oracle Arena.

Barnes got a standing ovation from the crowd and was checked into the game with just under 4 minutes left in the opening quarter.

Barnes wanted to join a winner, and he did not want to join someone that was starting over as he felt he was too old to start over at 37. He therefore waited and was in readiness. In the meantime, he still ensured that he worked and also got time to be with his kids.

Barnes wanted to come back only when he felt there was a chance of chasing a championship and this is why he fit in like a glove. In fact, even though Durant will probably return in the last week or perhaps the second last one, Barnes will be able to fill the void.

Barnes felt great to be connected with the team, and they felt it was good too that he is one of them again. In fact it was very special having him back on the team of which, he once such an important part.

Sports drinks do benefit people by replenishing their bodies with lost electrolytes and fluids. However, what is necessary for an athlete who is doing the triathlon is not necessary for someone who is maybe just walking for 30 minutes thrice a week. This will perhaps be overkill for the latter. Calories are needed if you do long workouts and if you lose a lot of body fluids. However, if you exercise for less than an hour a day, these are not needed at all. Most people like the taste of this drink and so they have it – not because it is needed.

Sports drinks contain sugar which gives the body energy. It has water which is necessary to hydrate the person, and it contains salts which help in water retention, various electrolytes to replenish the body’s stock as well flavorings and color. There are different concentrations of these which are played around with so as to give the user an instant boost.

The primary function of a sports drink is to prevent dehydration, and those athletes who are training in hot environments lose a lot of fluid rapidly. The stomach processes around a liter an hour of fluid and so if there is a lot of intensity and physical activity, there is a risk that the fluid will be lost faster than it can be absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract.

A person indulging in moderate exercise should be fine with just plain water, and those who are first-time marathoners need to be cautioned that too much water consumption too quickly can lead to hyponatremia.

Sodium in these drinks should be lesser than what is lost in the sweat. The sugar content should be looked at more closely. If it is too much, the drink will be emptied slower from the stomach and if it is too little, the drink is unpalatable as it has salt in it. So sugar should be in the concentration between 3% – 7%.

If you are a good gymnast or one that aspires to be one, you will know that you need a three-pronged approach. You will need strength, stamina, and power as well. Gymnasts need to do these exercises on a daily basis to build up their bodies to withstand the pressures and the rigors that gymnastics puts them through.

Here Are Some Super Exercises That Ought To Be Performed:

Hollow body hold –This helps to make you stronger and more stable, and thereby you will be able to better transfer force from the upper to lower body, and this will increase your power in sprinting, kicking, hitting, jumping, pulling and pushing.

Hollow pull up – This is holding the body in a concave way. This increases the stability and engages more muscles. The lats and abs are able to work together better with this.

L Seat- It is used on rings and parallel bars. This builds stamina and strength for the rectus abdominus as well as the triceps, lats and the hip flexor muscles. This gives you a strong torso.

Planche pushups- These are used for strength and to build endurance. This gives you a harder core than regular pushups do, and you get to strengthen your connective tissues and muscles as well.

Everyone wants to be remembered for all eternity and what better way to be remembered forever than to have a move named after you. Here are some moves which are named after gymnasts.

The Biles: Simone Biles, the three-time world champion and the Olympic all-rounder, had a unique floor exercise which was named after her. This was a double layout which she attempted, but as her calf muscle was torn on her landing, to protect herself, she changed this to a half out.

The Patterson: This move was named after the 2004 individual gold medalist Carly Patterson. On this move, Carly Patterson did a double flip dismount from the beam with her knees in the tucked position and that too, she added a back flip to the half turn.

The Dick: This was a one of a kind mount done by Marisa Dick on the balance beam during the 2016 Olympics.

The Produnova: This is the most dangerous and difficult of all vaults, and the vaulters start with a front handspring, and they finish with two front flips.

The Mikulak: This had Mikulak jumping from one bar to the next bar in a single motion and that too with one hand.

For gymnastics, you need flexibility, awareness of the body as well as strength in addition to discipline. This needs to be learned under professional guidance and where there is proper equipment. However, if you are new to this sport and want to learn the basics, you should go for a beginners’ class or go to a gym. You can also supplement this with instructional videos which you can watch at home. However, you do need feedback regarding this skill that you are trying to master.

For Those Who Are Newcomers:

Preparation

Preparation should involve safety concerns. One of the vital things that must be taken care of is to wear clothing which does not restrict your movements. You should ideally go in for leotards. However, you may also use a fitted T-shirt and gym shorts for it. You should not wear hazardous jewelry such as bracelets, hoop earrings or necklaces. Nor should you chew gum or eat when you are working out. You should also ensure that the space is cleared of all furniture and objects. This will reduce the risks of injury.

Build Strength Strength building

Strength training is an important part of this, and you should do pull ups, push-ups, lunges, planks, arch ups, V-ups and other such workouts which will increase your muscle mass. These can be done at home with ease.

Flexibility building

You should increase your flexibility by doing exercises, and this will reduce the risk of injury as well as will help you develop the muscles needed and increase the range of your joint motions.

Practicing skills

You should do cartwheels, backward and forward rolls as well as handstands and backbends as these are the basic skills needed. You should ensure that you have a trainer who can tell you if the techniques used are sound and they will help you improve your skills further.

For those that like the rush of adrenaline, there are so many outdoor sports they can participate in without even leaving the country. However, these are not for the faint-hearted, though.

You can fly an aerobatic plane when you are in Vegas. This allows you to control the plane and your pilot will show you maneuvers such as loops, barrel rolls, hammerheads and more. You can then test your skills.

You can go overnight caving in McMinnville. This has more than 32 miles of passageways, and you can camp in these caves and have breakfast in the Volcano room.

You can heli-ski when you are in Anchorage. There are thousands of miles of the terrain, and so you can ski in different regions every single time.

When in Utah, you can bobsled down the Olympic course. A maximum of 3 passengers can board the bobsled and that too with a professional pilot.

You can bike in Tahoe on the single track mountain bike route. This has multiple drops and various sections where there is nothing to be seen other than rocks.

You can BASE jump from the Perrine bridge when you are in Idaho. This has a low altitude, and so you have less time for your parachute to be deployed. Therefore, this is for the extreme sports lovers.

You can climb the Yosemite’s El Capitan. There are various guided trips which you can undertake, and you can also get climbing lessons and also rent equipment.

You can hike through the Chamisa Canyon as well as the Ephedra’s Grotto. It allows you to go rappelling as well.

You can experience zero gravity in a Boeing 727 and feel exactly what you would have felt if you were in outer space in various cities like Vegas, New York, Miami and more.